“Great to spend some time with the grandkids this week – looking forward to Easter weekend with the family.” ~ Ann Romney (Facebook photo – April 4, 2012)

As Mrs. Romney meets with and speaks to voters across the country, heads are nodding in approval. Women, particularly, are sharing their deepest concerns with her – namely the economy, jobs, deficit spending, and how much it costs to fill their gas tanks.

Knowing a great thing when they see it, the Romney campaign just released a new video ad featuring Ann. A few responses:

The Romney campaign releases a video of Ann Romney, widely acknowledged as the most humanizing element of her husband’s camapign and the person who his team is relying on to help with women voters, talking about raising her family ahead of the holiday weekend.

Whoever had the idea to utilize Ann Romney more on the campaign trail deserves to be richly rewarded. It might be obvious that her sudden visibility is aimed partly to bridge Mitt’s gender gap, but she really does bring their family alive in a way Mitt just hasn’t yet.
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. . . Ann Romney’s wistful remembrances of her sons’ childhood remind me of the inexorability of time. I can think of quite a few moms who would say just what Ann says at the start of the video.

“Even then you knew that these moments would be fleeting, but you didn’t really believe it because you were so in the moment of living with those boys,” she said. “It was pretty chaotic, and a lot of fun, but they were great times.”

Better use today well because tomorrow will be here before we know it!

. . . Mrs. Romney has been an asset in humanizing and softening Mitt’s image, helping to present him as a strong, loving father and family man — a quality that, thankfully, many Americans still respect and admire. It feels like Team Romney is finally starting to really realize just how crucial her input is, and they’ve got a new ad out this week emphasizing Mitt’s more nurturing side:

I’m just going to say it: the more I see of Ann Romney, the more I like her. She seems kind, steady, and highly capable, and I’d be A-okay seeing her as First Lady in the White House. Michelle Obama has been a fairly popular FLOTUS and a valuable player in her own husband’s campaign, but I think Ann Romney seems more than up to the challenge.

I love this video – Ann’s narration, retro feel of the Super 8 footage, and seeing the Romney boys when they were little guys: